Mega City Book Club

Matthew Ellis returns to early 1970s British comics with Slaves of War Orphan Farm by Gerry Finley-Day and Desmond Walduck which began in issue one of Tammy in 1971. Expect plucky heroines, escapes and recaptures, and the horrors of repetitive head trauma. You can read more about this comic on the Jinty and Tammy blogs. And find space in your diary for next year's NICE convention.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Tony Esmond rises to the challenge and guides me through The Light and Darkness War by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. You can find the Strip Artists film we discuss in the episode on YouTube. Check out Tony's work on the Awesome Comics podcast, Never Iron Anything, and buy his comics at Tribute Press. And please support the MIND mental health charity by buying a copy of the DUI3 anthology. You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

John Caro is a principal lecturer in the department of creative and cultural industries at the university of Portsmouth. He was on the film club recently talking about 1970s films that influenced 2000AD, and now he makes his book club debut with Martin Barker's history of Action comic and its legacy. Hard copies of the book are hard to find but you can read some sections of it on John Freeman's Down the Tubes website.Check out John's writing about Action on the Pop Junctions blog, listen to him talk about the 2000AD Action special on Space Spinner 2000 episode 266, and head to the Portsmouth Comic Con website.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Conrad returns to the film club with the two most recent DC releases. Spoiler warnings, particularly for the many cameos in The Flash movie.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

James Knight joins the book club to discuss the first volume of Hondo City Law, and to talk about the influence of Manga on Robbie Morrison and Frank Quitely's work, and on 2000AD in general.Check out James' work at the National Sound Archive and the Sound and Moving Image archive. And listen to his own show on BTS radio.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Damian Lubanski joins me in the book club's secret underground base to discuss possibly the most extreme comic Garth Ennis has ever created. Content warning: this book contains depictions of graphic violence and sexual assault and we discuss some of this during the episode. The three issue mini series we recommend begins with this issue on Kindle/Comixology.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Threads, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

John Caro joins the film club with two films from the 1970s that give us the chance to discuss some of the DNA of Judge Dredd and 2000AD. Follow Conrad at SpaceSpinner2000, and find John on Twitter and on Mastodon.And get in touch if you want to discuss a film that relates to 2000AD or British comics in general.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Dan Ratcliffe joined me in a Cambridge pub to discuss the fascinating history of Sonic the Comic from the 1990 and early 2000s. Check out Sonic the Comic the Podcast as recommended by Dan, and get in touch if you want to see more of his bound collections.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

I met up with Giles Wright at the Lawless convention to discuss another eclectic mix of Judge Dredd stories, this time all written by Al Ewing. Hard copies of the Mega Collection volume 87 are still out there, and you can buy Ewing's other collection Blaze of Glory from the 2000AD store. Giles also recommends Darwyn Cooke's adaptations of Richard Stark's Parker stories.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

I met up with Richard Sheaf at Lawless to discuss the work of one of his favourite artists. Get your copy of The Art of Frank Bellamy from The Book Palace. Check out Norman Boyd's blog all about Bellamy. And follow Richard's work at Boys Adventure Comics.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Conrad Leiden joins me for a remotely recorded film club in which we briefly cover John Wick 4, and then get onto two of the big summer movies with minor spoilers throughout for Guardians of the Galaxy vol 3, and Spider-Man:Across the Spider-Verse. Check out Conrad's latest adventures with Fox at SpaceSpinner2000.comYou can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Luke Aldred is a new addition to the book club, and he takes me through the first volume of Frank Miller's Sin City in which he sees strong parallels with Judge Dredd. Check out Luke's own art on Etsy and instagram.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

I met up with Paul Trimble at his Enniskillen Comic Fest to have a quick chat about the first issue of the new Battle Action specials. And then I took my microphone on to the convention floor and spoke with Garth Ennis, Keith Burns, John Wagner, Dan Cornwell and Gerry Finley-Day. Apologies for my poor microophone technique in places.Head to the 2000AD and Treasury store to get your copy and make sure we get more of these splendid comics.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

John Wagner joined me at the Lawless convention in Bristol for a brief chat about the Bogie Man and the forthcoming collected edition. There is some background noise on this episode but it's worth it for a chance to listen to the great man himself. Check out The Bogie Man website and the Kickstarter organised with the assistance of  The77.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

I'm delighted to welcome Garth Ennis back to the book club to discuss the fourth Titan collection of Johnny Red by Tom Tully and John Cooper.Get your copy from your local book shop, be sure to order the new Battle Action specials, and visit the Enniskillen comic fest page on Facebook. Thanks to Paul Trimble for help setting up this interview.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Pete Wells returns for a record breaking eighth appearance on the book club with a literal monster of a book. Tune in as we tackle From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell.Buy a copy of the 2000AD Covers Uncovered annual from the 2000AD store. And check out Pete's remarkable Sensory Stories for children with special educational needs at HelpKidzLearn.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Jamie Beamish is back with a classic tale of Dredd in the Emerald Isle by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. Check out the Garth Ennis collection on kindle, or Casefiles 15. And you can watch Jamie on screen in Bridgerton, the absolutely wonderful Derry Girls, and Halo.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram and Mastodon, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Steve Tanner is the editor in chief of Time Bomb Comics and he joins me to discuss Quantum, a new comic you can find on the newsstands. We also talk more Spectrum comics, the Kickstarter for Brawler #3, and upcoming appearances of his splendid jackets at British comic conventions.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Justin Marriott is the editor of the Battling Britons fanzine which you can find on Amazon. He joins the book club to discuss a 1978 book of comic art by P.R."Doc" Garriock.You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comThe intro and outro music used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.

Conrad Leiden from Space Spinner 2000 joins me to discuss our two most recent movie trips. Spoilers abound for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam: Fury of the Gods. (Note: we recorded this before the assault allegations against Jonathan Majors were announced.)You can find a list of all the upcoming books on the Facebook page, follow the podcast on instagram, or email me comments and suggestions to MCBCpodcast@gmail.comMusic used in this episode is Circuit Breaker by the artist Robodub. If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Or Download here Right click and choose save link as to download to your computer.